Kiwoom Heroes Jeong Chan-heon (33) successfully finished his first appearance of the season.
Jeong Chan-heon started the match against SSG Landers of the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 5th and recorded a loss with 2 hits, 3 strikeouts and 1 run in 6 innings. He threw only 62 pitches and achieved the minimum number of pitches in 6 innings in his personal career.
Jeong Chan-heon, who recorded an average ERA of 5.36 in 20 games (87⅓ innings) last season, decided to be evaluated by the market instead of being a free agent after the season. But the market was relentless. He didn’t find his team until after the exhibition game.
Jeong Chan-heon, who did not participate in the spring camp and went through individual training, eventually signed a contract with Kiwoom for a total of 860 million won for 2 years on March 27, and managed to escape the FA crisis. Afterwards, Jung Chan-heon, who pitched twice in the second team and tuned his senses in practice, showed off his soundness by pitching more than expected in his first appearance of the season.
In an interview on the 6th, coach Hong Won-ki said, “The results of the game were disappointing, but Jeong Chan-heon’s pitching was very good. Unless there is a big change, I think Jeong Chan-heon should take the 5th starting spot. If he shows the same appearance as yesterday, he will be a great help to the starting lineup,” he said, praising Jeong Chan-heon’s good pitching.
Jeong Chan-heon, who said, “I had a strong idea to put the first button on well,” said, “I wanted to show that Kiwoom reached out to me was a good choice. I also wanted to show that I am still competitive and that my performance has not deteriorated. There was not a single ball thrown carelessly. I threw hard and focused,” he said in his first appearance of the season.
Originally, Jeong Chan-heon was scheduled to make his first appearance on the 29th of last month. However, as the game was canceled due to rain, he was delayed. Jeong Chan-heon said, “Considering the appearance in the Futures League, I started in 14 days. He lost his performance, but his stamina remained. He had only one desire to throw well. I didn’t want to show that I collapsed easily like last year. I think it means a lot in that respect.”
Regarding the contents of his first pitch, Chan-heon Jeong said, “I like the location, the choice of pitch, and the course overall. However, the pitching style I had in mind hasn’t come out clearly yet. That is the part that needs to be improved in the next appearance. Until now, I had the feeling that I was pitching too calmly, so I wanted to throw more aggressively. In the last appearance, the course and selection of pitches were good, so hitters made a miss, but it did not completely match the direction I was trying to throw.”안전놀이터
Jeong Chan-heon, who had a hard time all winter and took his first step in the season, which was a little late but still had a lot left to do, said, “As much as I have suffered so far, the club gave me a chance a little early. I also prepared myself to fit in there, and I put the first button well. It’s really fortunate that I had a satisfactory pitch. I have a lot of games left to throw in the future, so I will do my best with what I can.”